Super food for filling bowls, for game-watching, too

Super Bowl comes but once a year, but the snacks seem like
they're forever. Chili, gumbo, stew, buffalo wings, fries, chips,
salsa, pizza, tacos - the list of football-watching foods is a
lengthy one. If you're still battling to shed your holiday weight
gain, we've got some good-for-you ideas. If you can afford to
splurge, well, we've got some recipes for you too.

This first batch of recipes is recommended by four-time Super
Bowl champ Joe Montana. The former QB suffers from high blood
pressure, so he teamed up with cardiologist James M. Rippe, M.D.,
to create these recipes as part of Take The Pressure Off With
Better Blood Pressure Control.

The program helps people realize that despite taking high blood
pressure medications, they may still be at risk of heart attack and
stroke. Eating healthfully is just the first part of a three-pillar
approach to lowering high blood pressure. Learn more information
about the program at www.takethepressureoff.com, or call (877)
GET-BP-DOWN for a free brochure.

These ideas are from Cooking Light magazine: a crunchy snack
mix, and a beef stew with a Mediterranean flavor that can simmer
away for dipping into as desired -- both tailored to be lower in
fat and sodium than other versions of these standards.

This is one for the snack bowl before serious food play starts.
Leftovers can be tossed onto a salad.

"Celebrate!" by Sheila Lukins (Workman, 2003, $35) includes
menus for many occasions. Lukins' choices for a Super Bowl supper
for eight diners include chili and ribs. But she also has pasta
with a tomato-pepper sauce, something for vegetarians and
youngsters to dive into.

"The peppers and tomatoes are slow-cooked to coax out their deep
sweetness for a flavor that is full and powerful but pleasantly
light on the tummy," she says.

Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
Add half the garlic and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, 3
minutes. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook until thickened, about
30 minutes. Set the tomato sauce aside.

Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in another heavy saucepan over
medium-low heat and add all the remaining garlic and the bell
peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 30 seconds.

Add the tomato sauce, wine, torn basil and the basil sprig to
the peppers. Cook over medium-low heat, partially covered, stirring
occasionally to blend the flavors, 30 minutes. Add a bit of water
if the sauce gets too thick. Remove the sprig of basil and season
the sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high
heat. Add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just
tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta well and toss it with the
sauce. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve in a large bowl,
with the grated Parmesan cheese alongside. Makes 8 servings.

A book called "Macho Nachos" (Potter, $16.95) by Kate Heyhoe is
lively in scope, yet practical, full of bright and hearty
variations on the theme.

Sloppy Jacks are a version of Sloppy Joes, the homey old
meal-on-a-bun. Here, the meaty Joes cover corn chips instead of
buns, under a layer of Monterey Jack cheese.

Sloppy Jacks

For the Sloppy Joes:

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground red chili

1 pound lean ground beef (95 percent lean)

3/4 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons minced parsley (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Nachos:

4 to 5 ounces corn tortilla chips

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 3 cups)

1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely diced red or green onion

Prepare the Sloppy Joe mixture: Warm the oil in a large skillet
over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent,
stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and ground chili and cook
another minute, until the garlic softens. Dump in the ground beef
and cook until crumbly and no longer pink, breaking up large chunks
as it cooks. Stir in the ketchup and 1/2 cup water. Reduce the heat
and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture
should be moist and glazed, neither dry nor liquidy. Stir in the
vinegar, parsley, and salt and pepper. (The mixture may be made 2
days in advance; reheat before using.)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, or preheat the broiler, with
the rack 7 inches from the top of the oven or the heat source.

Assemble the nachos: Arrange the chips on a 12-by-18-inch baking
sheet or ovenproof platter. Sprinkle on half the cheese, then spoon
on dollops of the meat mixture. Top with the remaining cheese, bell
pepper and onion. Bake the nachos for 5 to 7 minutes, or broil,
until the cheese melts. Makes one 12-by-18-inch tray or
equivalent.

Make Firecracker Pork: In a large skillet, warm the sesame oil
over medium heat. Stir-fry the ginger until it starts to soften,
about 1 minute.

Raise the heat to high. Dump in the ground pork, breaking it up
into crumbly bits. As the pork cooks, stir in the chili garlic
sauce and the hoisin sauce. Continue to cook, stirring and breaking
up the pork. Add the sesame seeds. The pork will give off juices as
it cooks, then the juices will start to evaporate. Cook until the
pork is fairly dry on the outer surface, so the chips don't get
soggy. (The pork mixture can be fried as much as a day in advance;
refrigerate if not using within an hour.)

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, or preheat the broiler, with
the rack positioned about 7 inches from the top of the oven or the
heat source.

Assemble the nachos: Arrange the tortilla chips on a
12-by-18-inch baking sheet or ovenproof platter. Sprinkle on the
cheese and then the pork mixture.

Bake the nachos for 4 to 6 minutes, or broil, until the cheese
is bubbly. While the nachos cook, toss the cabbage with the rice
vinegar. Serve the nachos with green onion and the seasoned cabbage
sprinkled on top. Makes one 12-by-18-inch tray or equivalent.